What is Title I?
Title I is a federal grant reauthorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001. The purpose of this legislation is "to help the neediest schools and students reach the same challenging standards expected of all children" (Public Law 107-110).
The Title I grant addresses four major goals:
- Improve language arts strategies and skills
- Develop mathematics concepts and skills
- Promote critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Encourage family involvement in the education of children
Schools are eligible for Title I funds based on the percent of low-income students. Elementary schools with the highest level of poverty receive funding that is used for positions and resources to meet the needs of their students.
How Title I Works
The Federal Government
The federal government provides funding to states each year for Title I. To obtain the funds, each state must submit a plan describing:
- What all children are expected to know
- The high-quality standards of performance that all children are expected to meet
- Ways to measure progress.
State Educational Agency
The State Educational Agency (SEA) allocates funds to school districts.
Local Education Agency
The Local Education Agency (LEA) identifies eligible schools -- those with the highest percentage of children from low-income families -- and provides Title I resources.
Title I Schools
Title I schools include parents, teachers, administrators and other school staff who work to:
- Identify students most in need of educational help (students do not have to be from low-income families to receive assistance)
- Set goals for improvement
- Measure student progress, using state and local standards
- Develop programs that add to regular classroom instruction
- Provide opportunities for professional development for school staff
- Hire additional teachers
- Involve parents in all aspects of the program